(CUSTER COUNTY, Colo.) — An elderly man was identified as the victim of a fatal house fire near Westcliffe that happened earlier this month.
According to a joint press release, on March 4 just before 9 a.m., the Custer/Fremont Combined Regional Communications Authority (CRCA) received a 911 call for a smoke investigation at 699 Wyandot Trail in southern Custer County, near Highway 69 and County Road 318.
Several agencies responded including; the Wet Mountain Fire Protection District (WMFPD), the Custer Emergency Medical Services, and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. When crews arrived at the scene, mutual aid from the Wetmore Fire Protection District was requested along with four water tenders (4,000-gallon tanker trucks) from Custer County Road and Bridge.
According to the press release, 13 firefighters on nine apparatus worked over two days totalling almost 20 hours fighting the the fire and investigating the cause. In total, 60,000 gallons of water was used to put out the flames.
Courtesy: Custer County Sheriff’s Office
Duirng the fire, the homeowner was missing and deputies attempted to locate him before a fire investigator and cadaver dog were requested from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC). After obtaining a search warrant, deputies continued their search for the man and investigation into the cause of the fire, which remains undetermined.
After firefighting efforts concluded on March 4, members of the Custer County volunteer Sheriff’s Posse guarded the scene overnight. The next day, on March 5, Custer County Coroner Brad Baltzly worked to locate the homeowner in the debris using the cadaver dog and excavation equipment.
The homeowner, later identified as 86-year-old Gary Benson of Westcliffe, was found dead in the debris. “During the autopsy the serial number on a replacement hip joint was utilized to confirm positive identification of the deceased person,” according to the press release.
During the initial response, the driver of a tanker truck from Custer County Road and Bridge was injured as after the truck was unable to make it up the steep, icy hill before it slid backward and overturned. The driver only had minor injuries and was taken by ambulance from the area. A deputy also encountered trouble with the icy hill when they slid off the road and hit a tree. The deputy was not injured.
